Building Teacher Capacity to Personalize Learning for Students

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) proposes building teacher professional capacity and capital to meet the challenge of personalizing student learning by implementing an embedded professional learning plan. This plan will be responsive to individual teacher professional learning needs as well as evidence and research informed. This OIP is based on the belief that for change in student learning to occur, the change needs to happen at the classroom level with teachers. A shift in teacher practice requires alignment in the teacher’s values, beliefs and practices. To support this shift, a common understanding of personalizing learning needs to be established as well as implementing a professional learning plan that supports building teacher capacity to achieve it. Also, school-based conditions need to be optimized to support professional growth. As effective teaching and learning practices do not happen in isolation, an integrated theory of change helps ensure a balance between the external, internal and personal dimensions of change. Since the teacher’s personal dimension of change must adhere to the boundaries and expectations of the external governing bodies as well as work within the internal structures, policies and procedures of the school, this balance is integral to the success of the change process. Through the implementation of a multifaceted approach to professional learning, teachers will engage in a reflective cycle of continuous improvement. This will be supported by adaptive distributed instructional leadership as well as school structures that provide common teacher collaboration time. Three key areas of focus are targeted with this approach. These include deepening curricular knowledge, strengthening pedagogical practices and increasing individual teacher’s ability to understand each student learner and include them as active participants in the design of their learning